
CSC’s Gen 145 Families
Families are the primary vehicle for the passing down of the Catholic faith.
Today, more so than ever, we need Catholics to get into and stay together in authentic small Christian communities – and to mature together as disciples, who are capable of nurturing other disciples.
And to do this together as strong, Spirit-filled, Catholic families, rather than as isolated individuals or families. To pray for families, and that prayer be in families. And as each community matures, to begin to nurture other communities.
And in so doing, to model and to pass down the Catholic faith organically, from family to families, from generation to generations.
Pastoral Response
Discerning and recognising this important need, CSC hopes to fulfill key aspects of its vision and mission amongst young families, including:
- Enabling a life-changing experience of God’s love;
- Providing ongoing spiritual formation and growth in discipleship;
- Empowering Catholics to share Christ with others;
- House of Prayer & Intercession;
- Underpinned by a community of intentional disciples.
In response, CSC has established a new network of communities of families called Gen 145 Families, based on Psalm 145:4, “One generation praises your deeds to the next and proclaims your mighty works.”
Gen 145 Families aims to gather, establish and nurture small Christian communities made up of young families.
By doing this, each of such families in communities becomes, in a practical and smaller setting in each home, a “Pilgrims’ Oasis”, and a “Cradle for Catholic Spirituality”.
Find out more in the FAQs below!
FAQs
1. Who is Gen 145 Families, and what are its aims and core values?
It is a network of communities of young families under CSC, committed to growing together as strong, Spirit-filled Catholic families.
Each member commits to personally growing as a maturing disciple, who will eventually be capable of nurturing disciples.
Each member also commits to being in a stable and lifelong authentic small Christian community, each made up of 4 to 7 families (couples or parent(s) together with their children, if any) in a similar season of life, and as a maturing community, they will over time, assist in nurturing other communities.
Each member of this network aspires to live out CSC’s core values of Worship, Evangelisation, Formation, Christ-Encounter, Service and Community.
Living out the above, we pass down the faith – from family to families, from generation to generations.
2. What are strong, Spirit-filled Catholic families?
Strong Catholic families pray and praise, persevere and play together, produce peace and bear fruit in evangelizing.
They have a strong Catholic identity, are Marian, and place the Eucharist as the source and summit of their Christian life. They engage in lifelong ongoing faith formation.
They are Spirit-filled, walk in the Spirit, and faithfully and fruitfully exercise the manifold charisms of the Holy Spirit.
3. How often are the meetings / what is the commitment level?
Each community meets once a month, at home or elsewhere, for their “Monthly Community Meeting” (see FAQ 4).
The entire network of communities meets up once every quarter at CSC for The Quarterly, which is also open to all invitees and enquirers across the Archdiocese (see FAQ 5).
Members of this network also attend, to the best of each family’s abilities, CSC’s annual members’ retreat.
All members of this network are regularly updated on CSC’s other activities and events, and they commit to praying daily for the work and mission of CSC.
4. What happens at each community’s Monthly Community Meeting?
Key elements include:
(1) Prayer and Praise
(2) Word / Formation
(3) Sharing (Men’s group, and Women’s group)
(4) Fellowship (meal)
This is based on Acts 2:42-47, where the 4 key characteristics of authentic Christian community amongst the early disciples are Shared Prayer, Shared Learning, Shared Fellowship and Shared Mission.
For Word / Formation (Shared Learning), we engage in lifelong ongoing faith formation (with the foundation being the A-Z of DiscipleSHIP program consisting of 26 essential topics in the life of discipleship),[1] alternating with topic(s) of liturgical significance, or of discerned current importance.[2]
[1] A Catholic formation programme from the Catholic Theology Network which covers Spiritual, Human, Intellectual and Pastoral formation (see https://www.a-z.ctn.sg/faq).
[2] Also having recourse to the many other wonderful and worthy formation and other programs, organisations and retreats in CSC and the Church.
5. What happens at The Quarterly which takes place every 3 months?
All communities in the network gather together at CSC, and this is open to all invitees / enquirers across the Archdiocese.
For 3 key aims:
(1) Gather and Glorify (G) – Visible sign of unity of all communities, and to worship and seek the Lord together.
(2) Encourage and Edify (E) – Minister to marriages and families, wherever they come from.
(3) Network and Nurture (N) – A facilitated platform to meet, introduce and/or connect like-minded similar-season families together to kickstart the discernment process of starting a new community.
6. How to join, form or start a new community under this network?
Come to The Quarterly to meet and befriend like-minded families in a similar season of life. For families who are interested in forming or starting a new community, please kindly register your interest at The Quarterly (and help us to know more about you and your family).
Once there are four or more families who are open to doing life together, and community leaders with a strong pastoral heart from this group, the discernment process of forming a new community can begin.
7. What kind of families does Gen 145 Families hope to serve?
Families is understood widely as married couples with or without children, single-parents, families facing separation or separated / divorced, mixed marriages, etc (with at least one spouse or parent committed to or open to the Catholic faith).
Currently, Gen 145 Families focuses predominantly on the key demographic of families with parent(s) or spouse(s) in their 20s to 50s.
Follow Gen 145 Families on Instagram for updates and community activities!